Did Noel Gallagher’s £20m divorce result in rumoured Oasis reunion?

The reunion that Oasis fans long hoped for (but never believed would happen) could be on the cards, with former frontman Liam Gallagher and his songwriter-guitarist brother Noel dropping hints about a potential upcoming tour on social media. 

One of the world’s biggest bands in the 90s, the Manchester group broke up in 2009, with warring between the siblings believed to be among the key reasons, after Noel walked out on the group following a row in Paris.

Despite relentless questioning about a potential reunion tour, the band has not graced the stage together since their breakup, but now, an announcement is expected tomorrow, after Liam whipped up a frenzy last night as he closed his headline set at Reading Festival having earlier dedicated the band’s track Half The World Away to his brother Noel, 57.  

The feuding siblings have buried the hatchet after reportedly being promised a £50million payday to reform for a global tour with gigs at Wembley Stadium and the prospect of a Glastonbury headline slot. 

In recent years, Liam, 51, has been keen to make amends with his brother and reform the iconic Britpop band, but his older brother poured cold water on the idea. Liam famously doesn’t get along with Noel’s ex-wife Sara MacDonald and has had a slew of public rows with the PR exec in the past.

He even hinted she was the reason that an Oasis reunion wouldn’t be happening, with Noel furious over Liam’s name-calling about Sara.   

But after Noel’s £20m divorce from ex-wife Sara last year, the elder Gallagher is said to have been persuaded of the financial merits of getting the band together for dates at Glastonbury and Wembley Stadium.

Noel and Sara revealed their split in January 2023, after nearly 12 years of marriage. In a statement released to MailOnline at the time, announcing their separation, they said that their two sons ‘remain their priority’.

The couple, who met in 2000 at an Ibiza club named Space, share Donovan, who was born in 2007 and Sonny, born in 2010. Noel also has a daughter Anais, born in 2000, who he shares with his first ex-wife Meg Matthews.

Noel was married still wed to his first wife when he and Sara met, and following the split, it was reported the rocker had an affair with Sara during his four-year marriage to Meg. 

But Noel and Sara have strongly denied this claim, with the star releasing a statement in 2001 which shared that he didn’t cheat and ‘left Meg because I could no longer tolerate her behaviour.’

The elder Gallagher and Sara went on to tie the knot in 2011, marrying at the Lime Wood Hotel in the New Forest in a £60,000 ceremony, with guests including Russell Brand watching on – but according to brother Liam, he wasn’t invited.

‘He goes on about how he wasn’t invited to my wedding. No one was at my wedding but Nic’s [his ex-wife Nicole Appleton] mum and my mum. Get over it, mate. I’ve not been invited to his wedding,’ Liam told the Chicago Sun Times.

In 2019, the couple moved to an £8million South Downs mansion near Hampshire’s town of Petersfield with their two children.

But the good times were not to last, and the couple confirmed last January that they were going their separate ways. This followed what was reported by some to be a family holiday to Spain instigated by Noel in mid 2022, during which he allegedly  hoped could save the marriage.

Photos from the trip show Noel appearing pensive on a luxury yacht off the island of Formentera, meanwhile, Sara was seen bounding across the boat, seemingly without a care in the world.

One of the reported issues between the couple was Noel’s growing obsession with a new studio complex he had built in North London, which he would refer to as his ‘potting shed’.

The 57-year-old was said to be far more passionate about the project than his wife, four years his junior.

Described by one friend as ‘the ultimate man cave’, the studio boasted original artwork by Noel’s famous friends, including a painting by John Squire, guitarist of The Stone Roses.

Noel would reportedly wile away entire days at the studio, ‘fiddling with ideas and technical production equipment’.

He would also be joined by friends including Paul Weller, who was a regular and recorded his own album there.

The space was described as boasting a lounge area decked out with personal mementos, and a relaxing sofa area with a fully stocked booze fridge (though Noel was said to prefer a cup of tea).

Although images show the couple enjoying events including a double date with actor Matt Smith, and other evenings out in London, it appears they may have wanted different lifestyles.

Speaking about how the couple had started to go in divergent directions, a friend said around the time of the split going public: ‘They were once both wild. But Noel wound down his excesses and limits himself to social drinks in the evenings.’ 

As a result, in late 2022, the couple filed for divorce, with the break-up becoming public in January 2023.

Noel went on to issue a candid statement which read: ‘When you get to your mid-50s, you do come to some kind of crossroads in your life.  

‘It’s not uncommon for people who have been in long-term relationships to go their separate ways in their 50s.

‘I know a lot of people in the same boat as me and Sara. Particularly after the pandemic. The midlife crisis thing is true for men and women.’

The split was costly for Noel, with Sara reportedly receiving a payment of £20 million, as well as the couple’s £8million mansion, and ongoing maintenance payments.

During an interview on the Matt Morgan podcast at the end of last year, Noel intimated that the split may not have been as amicable as initially thought, noting how much the break-up had cost him.  

Addressing the fact that he would soon be living in North West London, Noel said: ‘I can get on the bike and go outside my wonderful ex-wife’s house and give her a little wave — and go, “you didn’t take this from me”.’

However, one upside following the split is that it reportedly helped end Liam and Noel’s bitter years-long feud.

Last December sources who know the siblings said that the split had an ‘instant impact’ on relations between Liam and Noel, who are now ‘closer than they have been for years’.

Liam is said to have clashed repeatedly with Sara throughout her relationship with his brother – which is said to have contributed to the vicious and often public rift between the brothers.

In response to a message on X (formerly Twitter), Liam hinted that Sara was a factor in Oasis not reuniting.

A fan tweeted the younger Gallagher asking: ‘Hi Liam, do you know why Noel hates oasis reunion so much??????’

To which Liam replied: ‘I’ve told you before he’s rite up for it but you know who won’t let him as she doesn’t like oasis music [sic].’

Following the divorce, a source said: ‘Liam did not have the best relationship with Sara. There were many reasons for the bitter feud that erupted between Noel and Liam after Oasis split up.

‘It was never going to be easy for any woman caught up in the middle of this spat to have to deal with Liam. But Sara and Liam both blamed one another, often for things that were sparked by factors outside.

‘It [the divorce] made Liam and Noel confront some of the issues that they were constantly clashing over, rather than blaming somebody else. The pair of them are now closer than they have been for years. 

‘I wouldn’t rule out some kind of announcement that Liam and Noel are ready to perform together again after that. There is already loose talk about a possible Oasis stadium tour in 2025.’

Indeed, following Noel’s costly divorce from Sara, the elder Gallagher is said to have been persuaded of the financial merits of getting the band together for dates at Glastonbury and Wembley Stadium. 

On top of Liam’s hints at Reading last night, social media posts suggest an announcement will be made tomorrow about the band. 

A short clip of the date ‘27.08.24’, in the style of the Oasis logo, was shared to both of their Instagram and X accounts on Sunday night, as well as on the official Oasis accounts. The black sign flickered and changed to read ‘8am’. 

And Liam fuelled the rumours with a further post on X yesterday saying: ‘I never did like that word FORMER.’ 

A reunion could prove highly profitable for the musicians, with Professor Jonathan Shalit OBE, chairman of talent agency InterTalent, telling The Sun they could make more than £400million from the tour and any residual deals.

He said: ‘With tickets, sponsorship, merchandise and filming, I would predict an income for Noel and Liam of over £50million each. This is a tour that could easily gross over £400million.’

According to reports, Oasis has been promised a payday of £50 million to reform and embark on a global tour, and the eye-watering sum could see Liam and Noel perform together 15 years after they last appeared on stage with each other.

A music insider said Liam and Noel had secretly been back in touch and both had agreed to the reunion, ‘much to the surprise of people around them’.